The Alaska Supreme Court has ruled to allow a measure seeking to repeal the state’s ranked-choice voting system to remain on the November ballot, marking the latest chapter in a legal battle over the state’s electoral process.
The Supreme Court’s brief 2-page order means that the initiative to repeal Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system will be presented to voters in November. A full opinion explaining the justice’s reasoning is expected to be released at a later date.
In her pivotal June 7 ruling, Rankin sided with state election officials, concluding they had not violated the law by allowing petition sponsors to fix mistakes in their petitions.
“The Division acted within its authority in allowing the Sponsors to make corrections to the certification affidavits on individual booklets after they were filed, but before the Division completed counting signatures,” Rankin wrote in her opinion. “Additionally, the Division complied with all mandatory deadlines in placing the 22AKHE initiative on the November 2024 general ballot.”
At the same time, she wrote, “There is no evidence in this case that there was a pervasive pattern of intentional, knowing, and orchestrated misconduct to warrant invalidating the 22AKHE initiative petition.”
Scott Kendall, an attorney representing the voters who sued to disqualify the measure from the ballot, did not respond to a request for comment on the ruling.
Ranked-choice voting was introduced in Alaska following a 2020 ballot measure that also implemented an open primary system. Under this system, all candidates compete in a single primary, regardless of party affiliation. The top four candidates advance to the general election, in which voters rank the candidates by preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes in the general election, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and his or her votes are redistributed according to the voters’ next choices. This process continues until a candidate secures a majority.
Proponents of ranked-choice voting argue that it reduces political polarization and gives centrist candidates a better chance at winning. Opponents contend that it’s confusing and burdensome for voters, potentially leading to errors or spoiled ballots.
While advocates of ranked-choice voting contend that it ensures elected officials receive broader support from the electorate, critics say it unfairly disadvantages candidates with a strong but narrow base of support and forces voters to rank candidates they may not fully support.
Original News Source Link – Epoch Times
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